Bottle closure



Oct. 6, 1964 A. H. MARLER 3,151,753

BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed March 19, 1962 FIG. 4a FIG.4b

Inventor ARNOLD H. MARLER United States Patent M 3,151,758 BQTTLE ILGSURE Arnold H. Marler, 8 Wendell Ava, Weston, @ntario, Canada Filed Bier. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 180,695 9 Claims. (Cl. 215-45) This invention relates to a replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures.

Bottles having disposable closures such as crown caps are a frequent source of trouble particularly when the contents are only partially consumed. Many attempts have been made to provide a replaceable closure for such bottles which can be applied after the original closure or cap has been removed and thrown away. Some such devices have been suitable only for use with still liquids where no internal pressure is developed since in the case of carbonated or gaseous contents the closure would sooner or later be displaced. Other such devices have been specifically designed to resist such internal pressures but have been relatively complex and expensive rendering them uneconomic to manufacture and sell. Other disadvantages of prior closures have been the difi'iculty of cleaning and operating them, for example, or their unreliability in use.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a replaceable closure for use on bottles having disposable closures which is capable of withstanding substantial internal pressures and which is relatively cheap and economical to make and is simple and reliable in use.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a replaceable bottle closure having the foregoing advantages which is resistant to accidental removal.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a replaceable bottle closure having the foregoing advantages which is provided with means for clamping firmly around the neck of the bottle.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a replaceable bottle closure having the foregoing advantages which is provided with manually operable means for alternately locking and releasing the closure on the bottle.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a replaceable bottle closure having the foregoing advantages which is suitable for manufacture in plastic materials by conventional molding techniques.

The invention seeks to achieve the foregoing and other objectives which will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment by the provision of a replaceable bottle closure for use in asso ciation with bottles having disposable closures and comprising: a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith; a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member; a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another, and at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap memher on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which like reference devices refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the instant bottle closure in position on a bottle and cut away to reveal its construction,

3,151,758 Patented Oct. 6, 1964 FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the components of the bottle closure shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of a portion of the bottle closure shown in FIGURE 1 along the line 33, and

FIGURES 4a and 4b are schematic sectional illustrations showing the components of the instant bottle closure in their unlocked and locked positions respectively.

From the drawings the instant bottle closure will be seen to comprise the cap member 10 formed of wall portions 11 of relatively thin flexible cross section shaped to fit around and closely engage the neck of a bottle b. The central portion of cap member 10 is provided with the thickened pressure plate 12 by means of which cap 18 can be snapped over the neck of bottle b. Within the interior of cap 10 annular ridge 13 is provided extending from wall 11 and dimensioned and oriented to mate with the neck of bottle b and make a good fluid tight seal therewith. Depression 14 defined by annular ridge 13 is provided to enhance the flexibility of cup 11. Around the periphery of walls 11 internal lip 15 is formed, oriented and dimensioned to snap around and resiliently engage the neck of bottle b when cap 10 is on position thereon.

Around the exterior of walls 11 wedge formation 16 is provided extending outwardly therefrom, at least when cap 10 is in position on bottle b, the purpose of which will appear below. It should also be noted that pressure plate 12 of cap 10 is provided with parallel sides 17 the function of which will be described below.

In order to lock cap 10 in sealing engagement on the neck of bottle b locking ring 18 is provided fitting loosely around cap 11? and being movable relative thereto along a common central axis. Locking ring 18 is of relatively massive construction and is provided with upper and lower retaining rims 19 and 20 in order to retain cap 10 within locking ring 18 and thus restrict the disassembly of the instant bottle closure. Upper retaining rim 19 is provided with bearing surface 21 defining an opening within which sides 17 of plate 12 make a good sealing fit in order to guide movement of cap 10 and locking ring 18 relative to one another. Lower retaining rim 20 is preferably provided with bottle engaging surface 22 dimensioned and oriented to contact and engage the neck of bottle b when the instant bottle closure in position thereon. Within locking ring 18 annular wedge formation 23 is provided, oriented and dimensioned to co-operate and interengage with Wedge formation 16 on cap 10 whereby movement of locking ring 18 relative to cap 10 in one direction will procure inward flexing of walls 11 and lip 15, and movement in the reverse direction will permit the same to flex outwardly once more. Between Wedge formation 23 and lower retaining rim 2!) recess 24 is provided to permit expansion of walls 11 and wedge formation 16 within locking ring 18. Around the exterior of locking ring 18 annular groove 25 is formed in order to permit engagement of locking ring 18 by means of, for example, a conventional crown cap bottle opener. In order to facilitate removal by hand, without the aid of an opener, ribbed bosses 26 may be provided of generally wedge shaped cross section on the exterior of locking ring 18 for engagement by finger and thumb.

In operation cap member 19 is moved into the position shown in FIGURE 4a by means of finger pressure on pressure plate 12, with walls 11 flexed outwardly and wedge formation 16 fitting within recess 24. The cap 19 is then snapped over the neck of bottle b, walls 11 and lip 15 flexing outwardly due to firm finger pressure on pressure plate 12 to permit the neck of bottle b to to pass therewithin and make mating engagement with ridge 13. Locking ring 18 is then forced downwardly relative to cap 19, bearing, surface 21 and parallel sides 17 of pressure plate 12 guiding such movement. The downward movement of locking ring 18 will force wedge formation 23 tion of walls 11 forcing it into sealing engagement withthe neck of bottle b, while the remainder of walls 11 is free to flex slightly and adopt the contour of the neck of bottle b to increase this sealing effect. At the lower position of locking ring 18, corresponding to that as shown in FIGURE 4b, bottle engaging surface 22 of lower rim 20 will contact and engage the neck of bottle b thus preventing entry of dirt within locking ring '18. When in this position cap will be seen to be securely locked upon the neck of bottle b in a manner sufilcient to resist any normal internal pressures which may be developed within bottle b and will continue to remain in such position until locking ring 18 is displaced upwardly. When this occurs, wedge formations 23 and 16 will become disengaged from one another and walls 11 and lip 15 will spring open thus permitting cap 10 to be readily removed from the neck of bottle b by hand.

Where the dimensions of the instant bottle closure are such as to make an exceptionally tight fit around the neck of bottle b, or where the handling of locking ring 18 may be otherwise undesirable, a conventional crown bottle cap opener (not shown) may be utilized to displace locking ring 18 by engagement in groove 25 in known manner.

It will thus be seen that the bottle closure is provided according to the invention which achieves a highly effective fluid tight seal and is also resistant to accidental displacement, the upward movement of locking ring 18 requiring a positive force along the axis of bottle I). In addition, it will be seen that the constitutent members of the instant bottle closure are inherently suitable for manufacture from plastic materials by well known molding techniques. The choice of such plastic material will naturally depend upon such facts as the contents of the bottle b, the various properties of the plastic materials such as resistance to abrasion, flexibility to various temperatures and other like f-actors. For normal use on bottles containing carbonated beverages it is thought that both nylon, polypropylene and polyethylene will be more or less suitable, in this case a high density plastic being used for the rigid locking ring 18 and a medium or low density plastic for the cap 10 for flexibility, although obviously many other plastics will suggest themselves for persons skilled in the art for any particular operation.

If at any time it is desired to disassemble the instant bottle closure for cleaning purposes finger pressure on one side of pressure plate 12 will displace cap 10 within locking ring 18 causing the same to turn sideways therewithin and continued finger pressure will cause walls 11 to flex and permit cap 10 to pass lower retaining rim 20. Reassembly may be effected by reversing these steps and applying finger pressure in depression 14, walls 11 flexing once more to permit cap 10 to slip within locking ring 18. l

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and is here made by way of example only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the specific features described and comprehends all such variations as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(12) wall portions integral with said cap member extending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the Al. contours of said neck and intimately contacting the same;

(0) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(d) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another; and

(e) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

2. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight heal therewith;

(b) wall portions integral with said cap member extending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the contours of said neck and intimately contacting the same;

(c) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap iember;

(d) a lip formed around the periphery of said cap and oriented to snap around and resiliently engage said bottle when said cap is in position as aforesaid;

(e) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another; and

(f) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

3. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(b) wall portions integral with said cap member extending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the contours of said'neck and intimately contacting the same;

(c) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(d) an annular ridge formed on the inner side of said cap member and oriented to mate with the open end of said bottle and form a good fiuid tight seal therewith;

(e) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another; and

(f) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

4. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fiuid tight seal therewith;

(b) wall portions integral with said cap member eX- tending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the contours of said neck and intimately contacting the same; r

(c) said wall portions forming part of said cap member and being of relatively thin resilient material permitting the same to snap around and resiliently engage said bottle when said cap is in position as aforesaid;

(d) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(2) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another; and

(f) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

5. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(b) wall portions integral with said cap member extending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the contours of said neck and intimately contacting the same;

(c) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(:1) at least one wedge formation formed on the outer side of said cap member and oriented to extend outwardly therefrom at least when said cap is in position on said bottle as aforesaid;

(e) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another; and

(f) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

6. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(b) wall portions integral with said cap member extending continuously around the neck of said bottle, the inner profile thereof conforming closely to the contours of said neck and intimately contacting the same;

(6) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(d) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another;

(e) an opening defined by said locking ring exposing said pressure surface for manual access thereto as aforesaid; and

(f) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction.

7. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fiuid tight seal therewith;

(b) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

() a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap membet and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another;

(d) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction; and

(e) upper and lower retaining rims formed on said locking ring fitting around said cap member and restricting disassembly thereof, said upper retaining rim being located on one side of said wedge formation and said lower retaining rim being located on the other side thereof.

8. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(b) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(0) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another;

(d) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to engage and compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction; and

(e) an annular groove formed around the exterior of said locking ring for manual engagement thereof by and with a conventional bottle-opener.

9. A replaceable bottle closure for use in association with bottles having disposable closures and comprising:

(a) a cap member shaped and dimensioned to fit over the open end of said bottle and to make a good fluid tight seal therewith;

(b) a pressure surface on the outer side of said cap member;

(0) at least one wedge formation formed on the outer side of said cap member and oriented to extend outwardly therefrom at least when said cap is in position on said bottle as aforesaid;

(d) a locking ring loosely fitting around said cap member and permitting manual access to said pressure surface of said cap member, said ring and said cap member being movable relative to one another;

(e) at least one wedge formation formed within said locking ring and oriented to interengage with said wedge formation on said cap member and to cooperate therewith to compress said cap member on movement of said locking ring relative thereto in one direction and to disengage therefrom upon movement in the reverse direction; and

(1) retaining means formed on said locking ring engaging said cap member on upper and lower surfaces thereof, said retaining means being spaced apart to permit sideways displacement of said cap member therewithin for disassembly thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Graham May 13, 1930 Edwards Nov. 27, 1951 

1. A REPLACEABLE BOTTLE CLOSURE FOR USE IN ASSOCIATION WITH BOTTLES HAVING DISPOSABLE CLOSURES AND COMPRISING: (A) A CAP MEMBER SHAPED AND DIMENSIONED TO FIT OVER THE OPEN END OF SAID BOTTLE AND TO MAKE A GOOD FLUID TIGHT SEAL THEREWITH; (B) WALL PORTIONS INTEGRAL WITH SAID CAP MEMBER EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AROUND THE NECK OF SAID BOTTLE, THE INNER PROFILE THEREOF CONFORMING CLOSELY TO THE CONTOURS OF SAID NECK AND INTIMATELY CONTACTING THE SAME; (C) A PRESSURE SURFACE ON THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID CAP MEMBER; (D) A LOCKING RING LOOSELY FITTING AROUND SAID CAP MEMBER AND PERMITTING MANUAL ACCESS TO SAID PRESSURE SURFACE OF SAID CAP MEMBER, SAID RING AND SAID CAP MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER; AND (E) AT LEAST ONE WEDGE FORMATION FORMED WITHIN SAID LOCKING RING AND ORIENTED TO ENGAGE AND COMPRESS SAID CAP MEMBER ON MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCKING RING RELATIVE THERETO IN ONE DIRECTION AND TO DISENGAGE THEREFROM UPON MOVEMENT IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION. 